>> YESTERDAY WE SHARED A STORY
ABOUT UKRAINIANS IN AMERICA
WERE THINKING ABOUT LEAVING
THE U.S. TO JOIN THE FIGHT.
MANY ACROSS THE WORLD ARE
WORRIED ABOUT THEIR LOVED ONES
STILL IN UKRAINE, INCLUDING
ONE WOMAN IN CHICAGO WHO PLANS
TO RETURN TO HER NATIVE
COUNTRY NEXT WEEK. WE'RE
JOINED NOW BY MARIA. WE'RE NOT
SHARING HER LAST NAME BECAUSE
WE DO WANT TO PROTECT YOUR
SAFETY. MARIA, THANKS SO MUCH
FOR BEING WITH US AND TALKING
WITH US. FIRST JUST WHAT MADE
YOU DECIDE TO GO BACK. AND
WHAT IS IT YOU'RE GOING TO BE
DOING WHEN YOU DO GET BACK TO
UKRAINE.
>> WELL, WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE
JUST THE COUNTRY IS GETTING
BLOWN UP. BUT ALSO I FEEL LIKE
I CAN TO DO ANY MORE PROTESTS
OR OF FUNDRAISING SITS JUST
ACT ON IT FOR. ALL THESE
YEARS, ESPECIALLY BEGINNING MY
DON. I NEED TO BE THERE. AND
THIS MY FAMILY'S WANT TO BE AT
LEAST A LITTLE BIT CLOSER. MY
FAMILY'S IN KIEV ODESSA. AND I
WANT TO BE CLOSER AND I HOPE
THAT WILL TAKE ME WITH MY
HUSBAND TO INTERNATIONAL HUGE
ENTERED HEIGHT. BUT IT'S NOT
THE THAN TEAR INTO WHATEVER
IT.
>> HOW IS YOUR FAMILY DOING?
IS THEY'RE WHAT'S IT LIKE TO
BE ABLE TO GET IN TOUCH WITH
THEM. YOU MENTIONED SOME OF
THE PLACES THEY ARE, OF
COURSE, THAT WE HAVE SEEN SOME
OF THIS MILITARY ACTION FROM
RUSSIA. ARE THEY SAFE? WHAT
HAVE YOU HEARD?
>> MY PARENTS ARE IN THE I
JUST TALKED TO THEM EACH IN
THE MORNING THEY PAY TOO SLAP
SOME OF THE SILENCE AT THIS
POINT, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE EVERY
2 THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE
PARKING GARAGE AND BACK SO NOT
GOING TO HIDING IN THE BEST I
HAVE COUSINS IN KYIV. I
HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THEM. FOR A
WHILE. ALL THE FRIENDS, YOU
KNOW, EVERYBODY ONLY PEOPLE
OUT OF THERE BASICALLY. SOME
COUSINS MADE IT OUT AND THEIR
INTERNAL TO. SO I JUST WANTED
TO SAY, LIKE IF PEOPLE ASKING
WHAT TO DO FOR UKRAINE. NO
MEDICAL SUPPLIES MEDICOS
ANYTHING, ANY THINK MEDICAL
SUPPLIES FIND UKRAINIANS
UKRAINIAN NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU
KNOW, AND EVERYBODY'S
ORGANIZING SENDING PACKAGES.
AND LIKE PEOPLE FROM THE THAT
ARE WORKING RIGHT NOW. IN
TOUCH WITH POLISH FRIENDS AND
TO UKRAINIANS ON THE BORDER.
EVERYTHING JUST MAGICAL
MEDICAL READY? I'M GUESSING,
YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO ARE ON
THE FRONT LINES. WHAT ARE YOU
HEARING FROM THEM IF YOU ARE
EVEN ABLE TO HEAR FROM THEM.
>> I'M A YES. SO. THAT IS WHAT
WE NEED IT. YOU KNOW, NOT ONLY
FOR THE ARMY, THE THE CHARGES,
THE CIGARETTES, YOU KNOW, LIKE
THE LITTLE THINGS ARE ALSO
NEEDED. EVERYTHING IS LACKING. YOU KNOW, ALL THIS IN UKRAINE.
YOU KNOW, ALL THIS IN UKRAINE.
AND FOR FUGEES OF THE HYGIENE
IS JUST COMMON SENSE. YOU
KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO DONATE
SOMETHING, JUST THINK ABOUT
WHAT AND THAT'S WHAT
UKRAINIANS NEED. YOU KNOW,
WITH YOU.
>> MARIA, RIGHT NOW AS WE'RE
HAVING THIS CONVERSATION I'M
JUSTIN AN AMAZING STAT COME
THROUGH IT'S STARTING TO THE
UKRAINIAN BORDER SECURITY
AGENCY, 50,000 UKRAINIAN
CITIZENS ABROAD HAVE RETURNED
TO UKRAINE JUST ARE
CHECKPOINTS IN LOVE EVE TO TO
JOIN THIS EFFORT FOR THEIR
COUNTRY.
>> PROUD. ARE YOU OF YOUR
PEOPLE AND WHAT DO YOU WANT
PEOPLE COULD NEVER BEEN THERE
HERE IN AMERICA TO KNOW ABOUT
WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW TO
YOUR PEOPLE, TO THESE PEOPLE.
THOUSANDS, 10'S OF THOUSANDS
WHO ARE RETURNING TO THEIR
COUNTRY TO FIGHT.
>> WELL, I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE
FOR US. IT'S KIND OF LIKE
CLEANING THE HOUSE. THIS IS
SOMETHING WE NEED TO DO RIGHT
YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT ABOUT BEING
PROUD OR IT JUST HAS TO BE
DONE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO
TELL YOU. WE JUST WE JUST
DON'T WANT TO BE RUSSIA. I AM
SPEND ALMOST 2 YEARS IN
AMERICA. YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS
THIS IS MY LAND AND WE HAVE TO
PROTECT IT. WE HAVE DIFFERENT
VALUES, DIFFERENT WAYS OF
LIVING, EVEN SO ON RUSSIAN
SPEAKER LOTS OF US TO SPEAK
RUSSIAN LESS AND LESS. THANK
GOODNESS. BUT. I DON'T YOU
TELL JUST THIS IS WHAT WE GOT
TO DO RIGHT NOW.
>> 20 YEARS IN AMERICA. MARIA,
WHO IS IN CHICAGO FOR PEOPLE
WATCHING A CITY OF MANY OF US
HAVE PROBABLY BEEN TO BEFORE.
HE'S RETURNING TO A WAR ZONE
FOR HER COUNTRY. THANK YOU SO
MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. PLEASE
STAY SAFE. WE'RE THINKING OF
YOU AND YOUR FAMILY WOULD LOVE
TO CHECK IN. THANK FOR HAVING